WHICKHAM ROMAN FORT

The site of Whickham Roman fort. Cropmarks of a Roman fort show it has three distinct ditch systems. The innermost ditch is the most complete and forms a south-eastern facing polygon enclosing 1.88 hectares. The ditch has three visible gateways and the north-eastern gateway has four pits indicating a timber gateway. The middle ditch has only been identified on the north-east and north-west sides. The outer ditch has only been identified on the north-west and south-east sides and is 8.75m wide. There are also cropmarks of unknown date, possibly a settlement and barrows.

NZ 219602. A Roman fort identified at Washing Well from aerial photography taken in 1970. Fainter crop marks exist in the immediate vicinity of this site (See NZ 26 SW 59), perhaps indicating barrows and non-Roman occupation of the area. (1)

At least two phases of ditch-system are visible, one of these constituting a fort with single ditch on one side but with outer ditches on another. It has been suggested that this fort belongs to the Stanegate series, but this remains in doubt. (2)

Nothing visible on RAF air photographs. (3)

The fort is situated at the end of a southeast facing hill spur. The majority of the area is under barley and there is no trace of any of the antiquities mentioned by Authority 1. However at the southwest corner is an uncultivated area of rough grass and scrub covered ground. Running northwest to southeast through this are the ill-defined remains of a bank 38.0m long and about 0.7m maximum height and 4.0m maximum width. There are also slight traces of a possible ditch and inner scarp and two similar scarps are visible further to the east, 0.9m maximum height. As stated the area is much overgrown and the bank, ditch and scarps ill-defined though there is no doubt of their existence. It is possible that they are no more than remnants of sunken ways cutting up the slope but it is also feasible that this is part of the south end of the southwest side of the fort. Surveyed at 1:1250. (4)

NZ 219 603 Washing Well, Whickham.Additional references. (5-7)

NZ 219 602. Washingwells Roman fort. Scheduled No TW/18. (8)

Washingwells Roman fort, Whickham. (9)

Excavations south-east of the fort failed to uncover any evidence for the vicus. (10)

Cropmarks of a Roman fort, more accurately centred at NZ 2188 6023, were seen and mapped from air photographs. As well as on oblique photography, the eastern half of the fort is also visible on the edge of one earlier (1947) RAF photograph. The ditch systems are possibly confused by what may be geological banding running in a slight arc SW-NE. Excavation by a local museum service is said to have identified such geological features. It is possible that later field boundaries may have been aligned on the eastern corner of the fort, and there is evidence on some of the photographs of slight remnants of ridge and furrow on the western side of the fort, aligned on the modern boundary which runs along its length. There are also visible remnants of ridge and furrow running in a different direction on the nort-east side of the fort. (11-12)